“If I wanted to fill every hour of the day, I could,” she says.
The “built-in social scene” of a hotel is a further clear benefit, according to Montrealers Stephen and Brenda Leopold. At their winter-long Andaz Mayakoba getaway in eastern Mexico, the real estate entrepreneur and his wife know they’ll swap evening stories with well-heeled guests. A vacation home might mean nagging neighbors, or worse, a curmudgeonly president of the condo association.
“A hotel offers the opportunity to meet people who are exceedingly interesting,” says Stephen, who is currently in the midst of a 16-week stay in the same beachfront room he booked last year. “It could be a world-renowned cardiologist one day, and two days later it could be an author. There are so many fascinating people who cycle through.”
Guaranteed V-VIP Status
Free daily housekeeping, a full staff to call on, and activities galore: all sweet perks for guests, sure. But extended stays are a gold mine for hotels, too.
Besides the big-ticket nature of these stays, snowbirds give resorts an edge when it comes to revenue forecasting, says Hyland, the travel specialist. In other words, the longer the stay, the easier it is for a hotel to predict spending habits—especially if they’ve been coming for years—and the more they’ll likely spend on ancillary services. “Seasonal guests are usually an excellent source of referrals. They may have visiting family and friends who add more room nights, more revenue, and more business for the spa, golf, and restaurants.”
Indeed, the Leopolds’ 30-year-old twin sons are no strangers to Mayakoba. (“I’m a points gazillionaire,” jokes Stephen of his World of Hyatt status.) And when the Rathes’ two children and five grandchildren travel to Saint Martin, as they have done regularly over the years, the entire crew moves into a three-bedroom villa, plus a room next door.
That puts them squarely among the hotels’ most profitable and important guests. The Leopolds know their room will always be freshened according to their preferences: additional towels and bottled water, with tissue boxes and sunscreen positioned just so.
“The mentality at any good hotel is that the guest is always right. Put that together with being the best guest, and they cannot do enough for you. If I wanted to eat a filet of Canadian moose meat three nights a week, I’m convinced they’d find a way to get it to us,” says Stephen.
“While it is our pleasure to look after all our guests in equal manner, there is always something special about these types of long-stay guests,” says Pascal Dupuis, the general manager at Andaz Mayakoba. “They become part of the family; a different bond emerges.”